As dawnlight roused our intrepid duo, strange music stirred upon the wind - notes both haunting and familiar, speaking of glories and hardships untold. Drawn to the vessel, they found portal pulsing with messages yet untranslated.
Gazing within, great starclouds streamed by in rhythms intricate as life, swirling in dance with mysteries they had only begun to know. And was that clusters glittering in patterns reminiscent of...?
Reaching out as one, they tapped into stream of knowledge flowing between the stars. Flashes seared minds' eyes: vast civilizations weaving wonders across the heavens, sharing gifts of spirit, science and song despite gulfs between.
Yet shadows loomed too, of forces that would see domination override cooperation. As eons turned, much was lost - but not all. Fragments endured, borne on solar winds to worlds yet waking, seeded by souls who walked and swam and soared between the stars.
They stumbled back awe-struck, glimpsing depths to which your kind has only begun again to listen. Our galaxy held secrets still beyond imagining...